On the Job: Etiquette has a place in the workplace

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Let's say you're sitting at work, laboring over an important report.

It's been hours since you had lunch, but you don't have time to run out for a snack. Fortunately, you've got a bag of pork rinds in your desk drawer and begin munching away while focusing on your work.

About 20 minutes later, you're confronted by a red-faced colleague who is staring at your pork rinds.

"Would you like one?" you question politely.

The colleague makes no comment, just growls in her throat and stomps away.

While you may wonder why the colleague acted in such a way, it's clear to those sitting around you. Gobbling away on the chips is not only distracting with your bag-rustling and your crunching but is seen as a breach of office etiquette.

Then don't be surprised if colleagues don't invite you to participate in an important client dinner or fire emails around the office detailing your boorish ways.

All because of those pork rinds.

While many people believe that the key to career success is doing good work, the truth is that "it's more important to be popular and well liked." says Vicky Oliver, author of 301 Smart Answers to Tough Business Etiquette Questions.

So if you do things to annoy people like eating a bag of snacks when others are trying to work nearby, that can be a detriment to your career. Further, if you're not using proper office etiquette, chances increase that you're likely to pull a boneheaded move outside the office that also can hurt your career.

The best way to avoid mannerless gaffes at work is by paying attention. If it's OK to ride a skateboard to meetings, then by all means feel free to do it, Oliver says.

But if you get annoyed looks when you show up in lime-green leggings and a Dodgers baseball jersey, then you may need to rethink your strategy.

"No matter how your colleagues or boss dress, I always think it's a good idea to dress nicely," Oliver says. "You never know when you'll go out to lunch with someone important. Looking like a slob never serves you well."

If you want to clean up your act so you can improve your image at work, here are some other suggestions:

Stop casual rudeness • Interrupting when someone is speaking and texting during a meeting are all signs that you're not giving someone your full time and attention, and that's off-putting, Oliver says.

"I think it's sort of addictive and a thrill to always be online. But even if others are doing it I don't think it makes a good impression," she says.

Communicate carefully • "In this climate, the most frequent complaint I hear is that people are too short with one another and that tone is misconstrued in virtual situations," Levit says.

"Most of the time, people don't mean to be rude but simply aren't careful about their communication," she says.

Don't be loud • Many workers sit next to one another, so take care to respect someone's space.

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